Northport City Council leans toward hiring Kerry Card as police chief

CWH Research President Chris Hornick gives recommendations to the Northport City Council from his findings of an audit of the police department during a council meeting at Northport City Hall on July 16, 2012. The Northport City Council has reached an informal consensus that it wants current interim chief Kerry Card as the city’s permanent police chief.

Staff photo | Dusty Compton

By Lydia Seabol AvantStaff Writer

Published: Friday, March 8, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 11:02 p.m.

NORTHPORT | The Northport City Council has reached an informal consensus that it wants current interim chief Kerry Card as the city’s permanent police chief.

CWH Research President Chris Hornick gives recommendations to the Northport City Council from his findings of an audit of the police department during a council meeting at Northport City Hall on July 16, 2012. The Northport City Council has reached an informal consensus that it wants current interim chief Kerry Card as the city’s permanent police chief.

Staff photo | Dusty Compton

The council came to the agreement during a work session Thursday night.

“After going through the interview process, I thought each candidate brought something to the table,” said Councilman Steve Acker. “But my feeling is ... that the best overall candidate is Card. We’ve made progress, and the department has made headway from where we were then to where we are today.”

If selected, Card will officially replace former Police Chief Robert Green, who left in July. In March 2012, Green was put on administrative leave during an audit that found he had used coercion, threats and punishment as “power tools of intimidation” to run the department.

The outside audit recommended that Green be fired and that the city conduct a nationwide search for his replacement. The audit also suggested a long list of actions that needed to take place to turn the department around.

Since Green’s absence, Card has been acting as interim, making the same salary Green did, $83,000 annually. City Administrator Scott Collins has said the city will increase the salary to the $90,000 range for the right candidate.

Candidates interviewed for the position were Capt. Kevin Leib, who has worked in the department since 1983; Lt. James Carpenter, who joined the department in 1997; Lt. Tommy Kimbrell, who has been with the department since 1995; and interim chief Card.

During his interview, Card said he had the confidence to do the job because he’s already been doing it for almost a year.

“For the last year, I’ve had the day-to-day management of the Police Department ...,” Card said during his interview. “I’ve gained some confidence and certainly had on-the-job training and feel that I can be an effective police chief for the city.”

Card has been with the Northport Police since 1990. Prior to becoming interim chief, he served as a captain and was also the department’s public information officer.

Council President Jay Logan said he thinks the department has drastically improved in Green’s absence, especially in employee morale, and that speaks for Card’s leadership.

“I’m looking at it holistically — where our department was six to 12 months ago and where we need to be, and knowing who can get us to that point,” Logan said, adding that he felt that Card is the best person for the job.

Councilman Rodney Sullivan agreed. Although Councilman Bart Harper could not attend Thursday’s meeting, he had written a letter to the council stating his support of Card for the job.

The lone dissenting voice was Councilwoman Judy Hayes, who said she felt that Carpenter was also an excellent person for the job, and that Card was in her “top two” selections for the role. She said she was most concerned with complaints and phone calls she receives from officers within the department that complain of favoritism.

She said she was worried that might continue under Card, or might continue until the city is able to hire more police officers. The city is planning to hire six new officers this year.

“If you want morale to go up, you are going to have to hire more people so they don’t have to work 16-hour days,” Hayes said.

No one in the department works 16-hour days, Collins said.

Hayes said that she had made a decision that she would vote to go along with the majority on the decision, and therefore she would support the selection of Card. Because no votes can be taken during a work session, the council is likely to approve the hire formally at its next meeting Monday at 6 p.m.

<p>NORTHPORT | The Northport City Council has reached an informal consensus that it wants current interim chief Kerry Card as the city's permanent police chief.</p><p>The council came to the agreement during a work session Thursday night. </p><p>“After going through the interview process, I thought each candidate brought something to the table,” said Councilman Steve Acker. “But my feeling is ... that the best overall candidate is Card. We've made progress, and the department has made headway from where we were then to where we are today.”</p><p>If selected, Card will officially replace former Police Chief Robert Green, who left in July. In March 2012, Green was put on administrative leave during an audit that found he had used coercion, threats and punishment as “power tools of intimidation” to run the department.</p><p>The outside audit recommended that Green be fired and that the city conduct a nationwide search for his replacement. The audit also suggested a long list of actions that needed to take place to turn the department around. </p><p>Since Green's absence, Card has been acting as interim, making the same salary Green did, $83,000 annually. City Administrator Scott Collins has said the city will increase the salary to the $90,000 range for the right candidate. </p><p>Candidates interviewed for the position were Capt. Kevin Leib, who has worked in the department since 1983; Lt. James Carpenter, who joined the department in 1997; Lt. Tommy Kimbrell, who has been with the department since 1995; and interim chief Card. </p><p>During his interview, Card said he had the confidence to do the job because he's already been doing it for almost a year. </p><p>“For the last year, I've had the day-to-day management of the Police Department ...,” Card said during his interview. “I've gained some confidence and certainly had on-the-job training and feel that I can be an effective police chief for the city.”</p><p>Card has been with the Northport Police since 1990. Prior to becoming interim chief, he served as a captain and was also the department's public information officer. </p><p>Council President Jay Logan said he thinks the department has drastically improved in Green's absence, especially in employee morale, and that speaks for Card's leadership. </p><p>“I'm looking at it holistically — where our department was six to 12 months ago and where we need to be, and knowing who can get us to that point,” Logan said, adding that he felt that Card is the best person for the job. </p><p>Councilman Rodney Sullivan agreed. Although Councilman Bart Harper could not attend Thursday's meeting, he had written a letter to the council stating his support of Card for the job.</p><p>The lone dissenting voice was Councilwoman Judy Hayes, who said she felt that Carpenter was also an excellent person for the job, and that Card was in her “top two” selections for the role. She said she was most concerned with complaints and phone calls she receives from officers within the department that complain of favoritism.</p><p>She said she was worried that might continue under Card, or might continue until the city is able to hire more police officers. The city is planning to hire six new officers this year. </p><p>“If you want morale to go up, you are going to have to hire more people so they don't have to work 16-hour days,” Hayes said. </p><p>No one in the department works 16-hour days, Collins said. </p><p>Hayes said that she had made a decision that she would vote to go along with the majority on the decision, and therefore she would support the selection of Card. Because no votes can be taken during a work session, the council is likely to approve the hire formally at its next meeting Monday at 6 p.m.</p><p>Reach Lydia Seabol Avant at 205-722-0222 or lydia.seabolavant@tuscaloosanews.com.</p>